Jintao Yoshido heard the call echo throughout the fortress. It was time to put his plan into action. Though he was in the courtyard and couldn’t see the entrance, he heard the grinding of heavy machinery as the drawbridge was lowered. Being built on a small island, the drawbridge was the only way in or out of the Saburashi Academy. Jintao gripped the long silver key in his hand, he was ready to make his escape.
He turned to face the beast cage. The courtyard of the academy served as a makeshift stable for the Saburashi’s fearsome mounts, the white tigers of Kuroten. There they prowled, eight of them, their white fur seeming to glow in the moonlight. The tigers were only adolescents, yet they were already big enough for a grown man to ride. They were restless behind the bars, as eager for escape as he was. For years, it had been Jintao’s job to tame the beasts, teaching them to obey commands and only eat the Saburashi’s enemies. In fact, there was no one better for the job, Jintao’s natural affinity with animals made the job so easy for him that some Saburashi spread rumors that he could speak the tiger’s language.
This was half-true, he could communicate to the tiger’s in some sense, but it was mostly nonverbal. His skill was unmatched, and the Saburashi paid him well, but recently things had changed. As the war raged on, the military minds of Kuroten sought to gain a tactical advantage over their adversaries. Their solution was to artificially enhance the tigers. Jintao refused, but crueler beast tamers were hired to do the job.
The tigers were fitted with armor that made it hard for them to see and restricted their freedom of movement. They extended their claws with metal, causing the tigers pain when they ran, their paws always bleeding. But the worst of all were the spears. Savagely driven into the tiger’s skin, long metal spears were mounted by the tiger’s shoulders, making them more deadly while charging.
Jintao locked eyes with the nearest tiger. It was Osoruken, the biggest of the eight tigers. Like the others, he was outfitted with those horrid modifications that seemed to spit in the face of nature. Jintao had removed their armor, which lay in jumbled heap in the corner of the cage, but he couldn’t do anything about the claws or the spears. Jintao had trained Osoruken and his siblings since they were cubs, they were like his children, and he wouldn’t allow any more cruelty to befall them. Bowing his head to the tigers, he motioned towards the direction of the bridge.
“It is time,” he whispered, “When I open this cage, we run.”
The tiger’s stopped prowling and came to the door of the cage, crouching as if ready to pounce, their striped tails twitching behind them.
The rumbling of the drawbridge came to a halt. It was time, the bridge wouldn’t stay lowered forever. Jintao shoved the silver key into the lock. He turned it and yanked the cage door open. All at once, the tiger’s rushed out of the cage, Osoruken came striding up alongside Jintao. None of the tigers had been outfitted with saddles yet, so Jintao would have to hold on as best as he could. Jintao threw himself onto Osoruken’s back, urging him forward towards the corridor that led to the bridge. The other tigers followed suit, pelting along behind. Their paws thundered against the stone as they dashed through the fortress. Jintao felt the wind rushing through his hair as he held onto Osoruken’s back. At last they came to the main gate, its doors wide open, the massive wooden bridge still in its lowered position. Crossing the bridge were a group of elite Saburashi, adorned with extravagant ceremonial armor that shimmered in the light of the torches they held. Their yells of surprise alerted the guards atop the gate. Then came the clanging of alarm bells as the guards took up arms.
“Charge!” Jintao yelled over the clamor, and the tigers acknowledged the command. The guards shot flaming arrows from the ramparts that missed the tigers by inches as they surged towards the gate.
“Shut the gate!” Screamed a voice from behind, the captain of the guard had emerged from the barracks followed by twenty armed Saburashi. Ahead, the gate began to creak as the guards on the wall followed the order. Soon Jintao and the tigers would have been trapped, if it weren’t for the tigers incredible speed.
They charged through the gate, the tail of the last tiger just slipping through as the gate closed with a heavy thud. They’d made it to the bridge, but there was no time to wait. More arrows whistled through the air as the tigers hurried across the bridge.
“Out of the way!” Jintao yelled at the elite Saburashi who were now trapped on the bridge. Their ceremonial armor was no match for the tigers, yet they drew their swords. Jintao attempted to steer Osoruken between them, but they closed in. Osoruken roared, and the fearsome noise seemed to drown out all other sound. He rushed forward, swiping one huge paw at a Saburashi, he cut him down. He impaled another on the spears mounted on his shoulders. He shook violently to get the man off, and Jintao clung to the tiger’s back as tightly as he could. Jintao heard the bridge start to creak, the guards were trying to raise it up again.
The tigers powered forward, this was what they’d been trained for. They knocked men into the water or trampled over them. Jintao saw fear in the Saburashi’s eyes, as the rest of them chose to dive off the bridge and into the water rather than be mauled by the tigers. With all of the men scared off, the tigers soon reached the end of the bridge now, just as it was beginning to lift up. In one great leap, Osoruken soared across the gap, the other tigers following closely behind. One by one, they landed safely on the grass on the other side.
Jintao climbed down from Osoruken’s back. He patted the tiger. They’d made it this far, but they weren’t safe yet. He brushed his hand through the tiger’s fur then raised his hand. He pointed in the direction of the forest that lay ahead.
“You’re free now,” he said, “Take the others far from here, and keep them safe for me.”
The tiger made no sign of moving, and instead rubbed its nose affectionately against his outstretched hand.
“Go.” said Jintao, in a much stronger voice, it was a command this time. “Go before they come to catch you.”
Obeying the only human who would ever have that power over him, Osoruken slowly turned away from Jintao, though he gave him one final pleading look. Jintao brushed his fur one final time and urged the tiger forward. Osoruken took off towards the treeline, the other tigers following behind. Jintao watched until the last of their tails disappeared beneath the trees. Alarm bells were still clanging in the distance, and before long the Saburashi would come hunting for him. Along the coast he spotted the lights of a fishing village and made for it.
He could lay low for a while and stow away on the first ship out of Kuroten. They’d be searching for him, and there was a strong possibility he would be caught. But they would never catch the white tigers.
Jintao Yoshido heard the call echo throughout the fortress. It was time to put his plan into action. Though he was in the courtyard and couldn’t see the entrance, he heard the grinding of heavy machinery as the drawbridge was lowered. Being built on a small island, the drawbridge was the only way in or out of the Saburashi Academy. Jintao gripped the long silver key in his hand, he was ready to make his escape.
He turned to face the beast cage. The courtyard of the academy served as a makeshift stable for the Saburashi’s fearsome mounts, the white tigers of Kuroten. There they prowled, eight of them, their white fur seeming to glow in the moonlight. The tigers were only adolescents, yet they were already big enough for a grown man to ride. They were restless behind the bars, as eager for escape as he was. For years, it had been Jintao’s job to tame the beasts, teaching them to obey commands and only eat the Saburashi’s enemies. In fact, there was no one better for the job, Jintao’s natural affinity with animals made the job so easy for him that some Saburashi spread rumors that he could speak the tiger’s language.
This was half-true, he could communicate to the tiger’s in some sense, but it was mostly nonverbal. His skill was unmatched, and the Saburashi paid him well, but recently things had changed. As the war raged on, the military minds of Kuroten sought to gain a tactical advantage over their adversaries. Their solution was to artificially enhance the tigers. Jintao refused, but crueler beast tamers were hired to do the job.
The tigers were fitted with armor that made it hard for them to see and restricted their freedom of movement. They extended their claws with metal, causing the tigers pain when they ran, their paws always bleeding. But the worst of all were the spears. Savagely driven into the tiger’s skin, long metal spears were mounted by the tiger’s shoulders, making them more deadly while charging.
Jintao locked eyes with the nearest tiger. It was Osoruken, the biggest of the eight tigers. Like the others, he was outfitted with those horrid modifications that seemed to spit in the face of nature. Jintao had removed their armor, which lay in jumbled heap in the corner of the cage, but he couldn’t do anything about the claws or the spears. Jintao had trained Osoruken and his siblings since they were cubs, they were like his children, and he wouldn’t allow any more cruelty to befall them. Bowing his head to the tigers, he motioned towards the direction of the bridge.
“It is time,” he whispered, “When I open this cage, we run.”
The tiger’s stopped prowling and came to the door of the cage, crouching as if ready to pounce, their striped tails twitching behind them.
The rumbling of the drawbridge came to a halt. It was time, the bridge wouldn’t stay lowered forever. Jintao shoved the silver key into the lock. He turned it and yanked the cage door open. All at once, the tiger’s rushed out of the cage, Osoruken came striding up alongside Jintao. None of the tigers had been outfitted with saddles yet, so Jintao would have to hold on as best as he could.
Jintao threw himself onto Osoruken’s back, urging him forward towards the corridor that led to the bridge. The other tigers followed suit, pelting along behind. Their paws thundered against the stone as they dashed through the fortress. Jintao felt the wind rushing through his hair as he held onto Osoruken’s back. At last they came to the main gate, its doors wide open, the massive wooden bridge still in its lowered position. Crossing the bridge were a group of elite Saburashi, adorned with extravagant ceremonial armor that shimmered in the light of the torches they held. Their yells of surprise alerted the guards atop the gate. Then came the clanging of alarm bells as the guards took up arms.
“Charge!” Jintao yelled over the clamor, and the tigers acknowledged the command. The guards shot flaming arrows from the ramparts that missed the tigers by inches as they surged towards the gate.
“Shut the gate!” Screamed a voice from behind, the captain of the guard had emerged from the barracks followed by twenty armed Saburashi. Ahead, the gate began to creak as the guards on the wall followed the order. Soon Jintao and the tigers would have been trapped, if it weren’t for the tigers incredible speed.
They charged through the gate, the tail of the last tiger just slipping through as the gate closed with a heavy thud. They’d made it to the bridge, but there was no time to wait. More arrows whistled through the air as the tigers hurried across the bridge.
“Out of the way!” Jintao yelled at the elite Saburashi who were now trapped on the bridge. Their ceremonial armor was no match for the tigers, yet they drew their swords. Jintao attempted to steer Osoruken between them, but they closed in. Osoruken roared, and the fearsome noise seemed to drown out all other sound. He rushed forward, swiping one huge paw at a Saburashi, he cut him down. He impaled another on the spears mounted on his shoulders. He shook violently to get the man off, and Jintao clung to the tiger’s back as tightly as he could. Jintao heard the bridge start to creak, the guards were trying to raise it up again.
The tigers powered forward, this was what they’d been trained for. They knocked men into the water or trampled over them. Jintao saw fear in the Saburashi’s eyes, as the rest of them chose to dive off the bridge and into the water rather than be mauled by the tigers. With all of the men scared off, the tigers soon reached the end of the bridge now, just as it was beginning to lift up. In one great leap, Osoruken soared across the gap, the other tigers following closely behind. One by one, they landed safely on the grass on the other side.
Jintao climbed down from Osoruken’s back. He patted the tiger. They’d made it this far, but they weren’t safe yet. He brushed his hand through the tiger’s fur then raised his hand. He pointed in the direction of the forest that lay ahead.
“You’re free now,” he said, “Take the others far from here, and keep them safe for me.”
The tiger made no sign of moving, and instead rubbed its nose affectionately against his outstretched hand.
“Go.” said Jintao, in a much stronger voice, it was a command this time. “Go before they come to catch you.”
Obeying the only human who would ever have that power over him, Osoruken slowly turned away from Jintao, though he gave him one final pleading look. Jintao brushed his fur one final time and urged the tiger forward. Osoruken took off towards the treeline, the other tigers following behind. Jintao watched until the last of their tails disappeared beneath the trees. Alarm bells were still clanging in the distance, and before long the Saburashi would come hunting for him. Along the coast he spotted the lights of a fishing village and made for it.
He could lay low for a while and stow away on the first ship out of Kuroten. They’d be searching for him, and there was a strong possibility he would be caught. But they would never catch the white tigers.